Griffin O'Neal pleads guilty in DUI crash

San Diego  Griffin O’Neal, son of actor Ryan O’Neal, admitted Tuesday that he drove under the influence of drugs in August and caused a head-on traffic collision in San Pasqual that injured another motorist.

O’Neal, 47, pleaded guilty to two felony charges: driving under the influence and possession of a firearm by a felon. He also admitted he has a previous strike on his record for shooting into an unoccupied vehicle in Los Angeles in 1992.

As a result of the plea, his other charges were dismissed.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Eugenia Eyherabide scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 12, when O’Neal faces a possible sentence of up to four years in prison.

The actor’s son, who lives in North County and is free on bail, stood in court Tuesday with the assistance of a cane. He said he was on medication for treatment of a bone disease.

When questioned by the judge, O’Neal said initially that he was not sure whether his previous conviction was a strike. Moments later he said: “I’m crystal clear right now.”

Deputy District Attorney Vanessa DuVall has said that O’Neal was on drugs Aug. 2, when he veered into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle. The other motorist suffered head and back injuries.

Toxicology tests revealed that O’Neal had amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and Xanax in his blood at the time of the collision. He was on probation for a previous DUI at the time.

Rock cocaine and loaded weapons were found in the vehicle O’Neal had been driving.

Defense lawyer Heather Boxeth said at a previous hearing that her client had been trying to help his brother who had “relapsed again.”

His half-brother, Redmond O’Neal, was arrested in Santa Monica the same day of the crash after police allegedly found heroin in his car during a traffic stop, the Associated Press reported.

Redmond O’Neal is the son of Ryan O’Neal and the late actress Farrah Fawcett.